Vile Margaux

[jeral Profile]

I wonder how on earth they find out which fruit flies are infected yet keep them alive to watch their eating habits. Maybe infected ones colour a liquid medium if drowned in it; I'll eat my hat if they do an autopsy on each titchy fly

A new generation of fruit flies adorned my kitchen a short while ago, about 25-30 of them and counting - eek. Apparently good ol' bananas were the source, surprise, surprise, that have eggs on them when bought and hatch once the banana skins start to discolour, then breed like crazy. The prevention trick is to wash them immediately after purchase.

The various honey trap methods failed dismally for me, including tempting them into a glass of wine. They would happily float about then somehow manage to fly away. Must be acclimatisation per Sakkarin's link. Anyway, I removed all fruit and placed a ripe banana near the window then opened it after a while and removed the banana. All gone

[Sakkarin Profile]

I've got the perfect answer, Jeral. I have had the same problems all summer with fruit flies; the moment I start prepping veg, there's been two or three of them circling within seconds, and bananas seemed to be their favourite meal.

I treated myself to a set of the Lakeland veg bags that Joan recommended a while back, but have to confess that I don't like using them in the supermarket, as they don't really fold properly as they're quite springy, so you can't really put them in your pocket before you enter the supermarket, and when getting them out of my "shopping rucksack", it makes me feel like anyone watching would think I'm shoplifting - and to be honest the small amounts I buy it's easier just to keep them loose. I still keep a couple in my rucksack, but don't really use them.

However it struck me recently that they would be perfect for bananas, as the mesh is too small for fruit flies to penetrate. They fit the bill perfectly, and the drawstring is also perfect for hanging from a convenient hook, so they can be stored anywhere you want.

EDIT: Or it will keep the flies IN if that's the problem!

Although they may have originated from bananas way back, I get the impression the fruit flies are already there in my kitchen and attack the bananas rather than vice versa.

Veg bags:
https://www.lakeland.co.uk/73241/Carrin ... -Pack-of-5

[jeral Profile]

Many thanks for the tip re Lakeland bags.

I know mine came in with the bananas as there were no flies till I chucked two in the bin. Next morning it was like a mini blizzard when I opened the lid. All good stuff.

[Meganthemog Profile]

Many years ago I was invited to Wimbledon and there was a Moet & Chandon stand giving away glasses of champagne. The sommelier opened a bottle and immediately stuck it in a bucket behind the counter - I asked him if it was bad and he said yes it was - I asked him how often he got a dud bottle and he said that was his first ever in over 20 years!

[Sakkarin Profile]

Feeling extremely left out, as I walked towards the new Lidl (to check out if they were advertising any opening offers), and although it is not supposed to open till tomorrow, it looked as if it was full of people. When I got there, it turns out it opened two days early, and is already in full swing

Anyway the point I was going to make is that I discovered that they sell similar bags to the Lakeland ones for 59p. I couldn't tell if they had the drawstrings or not without buying one and unfolding it, but they were the same fine mesh plastic material.

EDIT: Worst planning cockup I've ever encountered. The entrance to the Lidl is where all the traffic out of Watford bottlenecks into a single lane. The carpark only has 92 spaces, and there were about 400 cars trying to get in, the queue snaked way back. More than that , there's a bus stop 50 yards before the entrance, where buses are trying to shoehorn into the Lidl queue where the busstop is, and cars trying to avoid Lidl are trying to squeeze out the other way. Desperate.